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04-10-2014 Adjourned Meeting - Budget Public HearingsPublic Hearings-Proposed Real Property Tax Increase, School and Annual Budget FY2014/15 April 10, 2014 Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Thursday, April 10, 2014 Public Hearings for FY2014/15 Proposed Real Property Tax Increase, FY2014/15 Pittsylvania County School and Annual County Budget VIRGINIA: The Adjourned Meeting of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors was held on Thursday, April 10, 2014 in the Pittsylvania County School Educational and Cultural auditorium located at 39 Banks Street in Chatham, Virginia. Jessie L. Barksdale, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. The following members were present: Jessie L. Barksdale Banister District Tim R. Barber Tunstall District Coy E. Harville Westover District James H. Snead Dan River District Brenda H. Bowman Chatham-Blairs District Jerry A. Hagerman Callands-Gretna District Elton W. Blackstock Staunton River District Mr. Otis S. Hawker, Interim County Administrator, Mr. J. Vaden Hunt, County Attorney, Ms. Kimberly Van Der Hyde, Director of Finance, and Ms. Rebecca Flippen, Deputy Clerk to the Board, were also present. Also present were the members of the Pittsylvania County School Board. Mr. Barksdale led the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion was made by Mr. Harville, seconded by Mr. Snead, to approve the agenda, which was unanimously approved by the Board. PUBLIC HEARINGS (1) FY2014/15 PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, will hold a public hearing in the Pittsylvania County School Educational and Cultural auditorium located at 39 Bank Street in Chatham, Virginia Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. to hear citizen input on the proposed real property tax increase for fiscal year 2015. The proposed real property tax increase is part of the overall County budget which proposes a 5¢ increase making an effective tax rate of 59¢ per $100 of assessed value. Separate public hearings will be held for the proposed County budget and the proposed School budget. The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, proposes to increase property tax levies. a) Assessment Increase: Total assessed value of real property, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeds last year’s total assessed value of real property by 3.66%. Public Hearings-Proposed Real Property Tax Increase, School and Annual Budget FY2014/15 April 10, 2014 b) Lowered Rate Necessary to Offset Increased Assessment: The tax rate which would levy the same amount of real estate tax as last year, when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate with the exclusions mentioned above, would be $0.54 per $100 of assessed value. This rate will be known as the “lowered tax rate”. c) Effective Rate Increase: The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, proposes to adopt a tax rate of $0.59 per $100 of assessed value. The difference between the lowered tax rate and the proposed rate would be $0.05 per $100, or 9%. This difference will be known as the “effective tax rate increase”. Individual property taxes may, however, increase at a percentage greater than or less than the above percentage. d) Proposed Total General Fund Budget Increase: Based on the proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the total General Fund budget of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, will exceed last year’s by 2.7%. Mary Lou Baldwin of the Westover District opposed a reassessment proposed real property tax increase due to the economic slump and cost of living increases. Marvin Hylton of the Westover District opposed the reassessment rates and commented that his property value had increased 23% from this last reassessment. Ben Krause of North Carolina, but owns property in Pittsylvania County, opposed the advertised budgets and made comments on management practices of the County. Eugene Carter of the Chatham-Blairs District opposed any tax increases. Reverend Joan Tarpley-Robinson of the Banister District was in favor of the advertised budget and stated she realized in order for the County to provide services the citizens had to pay taxes, so she supported the increases. Steve Matherly of the Chatham-Blairs District opposed the increases and stated the County needs to become more accountable and spend smarter. He did support an increase to the school budget, but not a property tax increase, and suggested that the real estate tax only be increased by 1¢ for each of the next four consecutive years. Mr. Matherly also stated the County needed a Capital Improvements Plan. Joe Spence of the Dan River District opposed an increase on real property and did not agree with the recent property reassessments. Henry Booth of the Tunstall District commented he’d never seen a reassessment increase as large as this most recent one and was opposed to it. Tom Morris of the Chatham-Blairs District suggested the County consider outsourcing some of its functions to save money. Martin Fisher (no election district given) asked if there had been any assessment done of whether or not households can even afford to pay higher taxes; asked if a zero sum budget was offered during the budget process; stated the Board had no moral authority to raise taxes on anyone; believed there should be an ordinance requiring a zero sum budget offered long with any other budget offered; and opposed a 3-minute limitation for speaking at a public hearing. This concluded citizen input and Mr. Barksdale closed the hearing at 7:44pm. (2) FY2014/15 PROPOSED PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY SCHOOL BUDGET The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, will hold a public hearing in the Pittsylvania County School Educational and Cultural auditorium located at 39 Bank Street in Chatham, Virginia Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. to hear citizen input on the proposed school budget for fiscal year 2015. The School budget is part of the overall County budget which proposes a 5¢ increase making an effective tax rate of 59¢ per $100 of assessed value. Separate Public Hearings-Proposed Real Property Tax Increase, School and Annual Budget FY2014/15 April 10, 2014 public hearings will be held for the proposed County budget and the proposed Real Property Tax Increase. SCHOOL BOARD Adopted Proposed Budget Budget 2013-2014 2014-2015 REVENUES From Sales Tax 9,411,495 9,278,215 From State Funds 46,915,949 48,288,156 From Federal Funds 8,620,468 8,829,847 From Local Funds 15,630,178 16,482,595 Cafeteria Receipts 5,071,523 5,141,120 From Other Funds 4,123,445 4,123,445 Total $ 89,773,058 $92,143,378 EXPENDITURES Instruction 62,218,661 63,985,897 Admn./Attend & Health Svcs 3,136,135 3,259,461 Pupil Transportation 6,123,704 6,157,019 Operation & Maintenance 7,575,800 7,696,077 Non-Instructional Operations 3,075,922 3,205,979 Facilities - - Technology 2,571,313 2,697,825 Cafeteria 5,071,523 5,141,120 Total $ 89,773,058 $92,143,378 Mr. Barksdale opened the public hearing at 7:45pm. Reverend Joan Tarpley-Robinson of the Banister supported the advertised school budget, stating it is a must that children of Pittsylvania County excel in education and all aspects of li fe in order to compete globally. Joe Spence of the Dan River District opposed the school budget and felt like the school system overspent. Willie Fitzgerald of the Banister District and President of the local chapter of the NAACP supported the advertised school budget stating that children of Pittsylvania County need a good education and every educational advantage the County can give them in order for the children to grow up and be competitive for jobs. Mary Lou Baldwin of the Westover District stated the schools did not deserve any more funding that the state required since children were graduating that needed remedial classes at Danville Community College before they could take classes towards a degree. This concluded citizen input and Mr. Barksdale closed the hearing at 7:57pm. (3) FY2014/15 PROPOSED PITTYSLVANIA COUNTY BUDGET The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, will hold a public heari ng in the Pittsylvania County School Educational and Cultural auditorium located at 39 Bank Street in Chatham, Virginia Thursday April 10, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. to hear citizen input on the proposed Public Hearings-Proposed Real Property Tax Increase, School and Annual Budget FY2014/15 April 10, 2014 2014-2015 County Budget. This budget will not be considered for adoption until seven (7) days after the public hearing. This notice is published pursuant to Sections 15.2 -2503, 15.2-2506, and 22.1-93 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. This budget proposes a 5¢ increase making an effective tax rate of 59¢ per $100 of assessed value. Separate public hearings will be held to hear citizen input on the proposed school budget and the proposed real property tax increase. GOVERNMENT 2013-2014 2014-2015 EXPENDITURES ADOPTED PROPOSED General Gov’t Expense 3,629,115 3,050,671 Judicial Admin. Expense 1,561,206 1,760,391 Public Safety 14,443,819 14,990,817 Health Dept./Social Services 11,178,346 11,338,541 Public Works 3,217,483 3,243,931 Education Expense 89,781,839 92,152,159 Parks, Rec. & Cultural 1,450,585 1,548,520 Grants 4,325,389 4,252,133 Community Dev. Expense 10,142,697 11,268,850 Capital Projects 9,216,010 561,707 Debt Service 13,062,241 12,839,165 Transfers 18,833,825 18,637,867 Misc/Non-Departmental 44,791 159,525 TOTAL $ 180,887,346 $ 175,804,277 2013-2014 2014-2015 REVENUES ADOPTED PROPOSED Local Funds 49,283,301 52,159,696 State Funds 81,891,402 86,927,969 Federal Funds 17,281,534 14,210,092 CIP Carryover 10,719,549 1,992 018 Carryover 1,231,832 514,065 Bond/Loan Proceeds 348,300 - School Bonds 573,111 - Fund Balance 724,492 1,362,570 Transfers 18,833,825 18,637,867 TOTAL $ 180,887,346 $ 175,804,277 Mr. Barksdale opened the public hearing at 7:58pm. William Light, Director of Senior Services at Pittsylvania County Community Action (PCCA), thanked the Board of Supervisors for the past supported and asked that the Board continue supporting PCCA. Reverend Joan Tarpley-Robinson of the Banister District supported the advertised County budget; commented that she works with the Sheriff’s school imitative program and encouraged the Board to vote “Yes” for the advertised budget. Joe Spence of the Dan River District was opposed to the advertised budget, opposed to tax increases, commented on the unnecessary purchase of Woodlawn Academy by the Pittsylvania County Public Schools and did not feel the schools needed a STEM academy, commented on the lack of discipline currently in school systems, and felt the Board could to a better job of handling the County’s finances. Public Hearings-Proposed Real Property Tax Increase, School and Annual Budget FY2014/15 April 10, 2014 Willie Fitzgerald of the Banister District and President of the Pittsylvania County Chapter of the NAACP supported the advertised budget, but felt Land Use should be done away with and all property owners taxed equally. Tom Morris of the Chatham-Blairs District made comments on wanting better County government transparency and that expenditures should be regularly published by line item. Mary Lou Baldwin opposed the amount of money advertised for the school budget and claimed the County schools have one of the highest dropout rates in the state. This concluded citizen input and Mr. Barksdale closed the hearing at 8:17pm. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Mr. Snead, seconded by Mr. Blackstock, to adjourn, which was unanimously approved by the Board. The meeting adjourned at 8:18pm.